(For city folks: Cattle ranchers hang up big chunks of salt-and-other-minerals for the cattle to lick on. The cattle benefits from the salt and minerals, and luckily they like the flavor so they lick up the stuff of their own accord.)

C.f.M. wrote:I wouldn't use Emergen-C as a source of electrolytes - I'll take one or two a day, but I don't really need all the other vitamins and whatnot it has in it.

There is such a thing as too much, when it comes to vitamins.

Not for Vitamin C. It's water soluble, so don't you simply piss out all of the extra (hence yellow pee for B vitamins)? I may be wrong, but I thought that it was only fat soluble vitamins that you had to be careful with, like Vitamin A.

TRIVIA THAT YOU DON'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT: Polar bear liver is lethal for human beings to eat due to its extremely high levels of Vitamin A.

C.f.M. wrote:I wouldn't use Emergen-C as a source of electrolytes - I'll take one or two a day, but I don't really need all the other vitamins and whatnot it has in it.

There is such a thing as too much, when it comes to vitamins.

Not for Vitamin C. It's water soluble, so don't you simply piss out all of the extra (hence yellow pee for B vitamins)? I may be wrong, but I thought that it was only fat soluble vitamins that you had to be careful with, like Vitamin A.

For most people, it's difficult to get too much vitamin C. The tolerable upper limit is 2,000 mg/day. Also, being water-soluble, the vitamin isn't stored in the body; any excess is usually flushed out through urine. However, some people may experience the following side effects:

No, you're not going to "overdose" on Emergen-C, but people should at least be aware of possible "side effects" - not to mention, the potential uselessness of taking several a day (esp. in lieu of things that could actually help with hydration, like electrolytes). It's probably as much the water you're drinking with it, than the vitamins in it.

Thermolyte(s) capsules are really good, there are several other brand names for the the same idea. They are easily portable and work in conjunction with plain water. As was mentioned before, once you put anything flavored into a camelbak it's a pain to get it clean for plain water again.

Camelbak makes an electrolyte powder to go in their bladders, but I haven't priced it. I've seen it in the uniform shop on base.

I never wear my hydration pack ($7, with a $30 bladder and insulated hose). I drink more water if it is slightly cool, so my pack is always iced. I mostly leave it on the rhoadescar bike, because I don't wander too far from that (four wheels, boat seats and canopy and a mister, like being in camp). Plus we haul a cooler full of beer and drinks and juices.

Hi y'all,
Virgins!! First-time to BRC this summer. We already have our Camelbak packs (I can see from reading this thread that it'll be a good idea to try that out, along with all the camping gear...)

Sugary drinks aren't a problem, because we avoid sugar. But I don't actually really LIKE plain water much any more. Does anyone know whether, say alternating Crystal-Lite type products and the pricey electrolyte tabs made for the Camelbak will cause any problems other than taste-runover? I have this...unfortunate susceptibility to food poisoning, so I want to be sure not to poison myself. But with no sugar, are bacteria going to be interested? Is there any sludgey residue?

theCryptofishist wrote:What is your normal hydration stratagy? Adapting that might be the easiest and most natural way to go.

Not for me. My normal hydration strategy is to drink water. I'll take an EmergenC before bed, and one in the morning, depending on how I feel, otherwise I drink water (and whatever alcohol I feel like). I just have a water bottle I carry around (since I'm not miles and miles from camp, at my regionals!).

That didn't work at all there (I had a water bladder and coconut water).

I honestly stayed feeling thirsty until about Thursday. I was craving Coke (which I don't like - any sodas, I don't drink). Some ANGEL @ my camp put out a public cooler, full of various juices, sodas, chocolate almond milk and I drank and drank and drank...horrible stuff I would never drink IRL, but it was so good out there...

Ugh. And I can no longer stand the thought of coconut water, I drank so much...

Anyways. My point being, my normal water-only lifestyle didn't cut it out there. I had absolutely no way of knowing that, despite all my research and planning.

Water is easier to carry after you drink it than before. I would pre-emptively drink a nalgene liter of plain water or diluted powdered gatorade before I left camp (I might make full strength, then dilute with ice water to cool it again) then take a full nalgene with me. The first day I was there, I got a terrible headache that night because I hadn't been drinking enough water. Start as soon as you get there.

No, start two weeks before you get there. If you drink a lot more fluid than your body's used to you'll just pee a lot. Consistently drink somewhere around two liters a day for a while before you go, and you'll find your body can do more with less once you get there.

“We cross our bridges when we come to them and burn them behind us, with nothing to show for our progress except a memory of the smell of smoke, and a presumption that once our eyes watered.”

Bling wrote:Does anyone know whether, say alternating Crystal-Lite type products and the pricey electrolyte tabs made for the Camelbak will cause any problems other than taste-runover? I have this...unfortunate susceptibility to food poisoning, so I want to be sure not to poison myself. But with no sugar, are bacteria going to be interested? Is there any sludgey residue?

Ths is one place where my steel water bottles shine. I was much happier with that system than I ever was with a camelback. But then I have a horror of plastic taking on the flavors of the ghosts that have been contained in it years ago.

The Lady with a Lamprey

"The powerful are exploiting people, art and ideas, and this leads to us plebes debating how to best ration ice.Man, no wonder they always win....." Lonesomebri

Lord Of Ruin wrote:....First, I drink water w/Emergen-C electrolytes on a schedule out there. Yes, whether I'm thirsty or not, I mix a packet into an 12 oz bottle of water, shake and drink. I do this at least 4 times a day. Easier than you think....one first thing while waking up....helps get the first pee of the day going! Eat, get ready, putter about....make one up and down it before going out and about for the day. I generally always have a 3 liter or better camelback. If I am carrying the backpack style, I might throw an additional 12 oz botttle of water or two in....

I second the drinking water right after you wake up, and keeping a schedule to drink water. What works for me is drinking about a litre and half right after waking up, followed by an electrolyte drink. It helps out more then you think...

Another thing to add (mostly for virgins that might be viewing this) is to drink water with beer and liquor, even at night.

The best year for me was last year when i switched tactics, i guzzled water like a japanese bukakke whore for the first two days, no drinking, relaxed met people in the slower paced camps. Then once i was juicey as a nectarine, i eased in the booze as the week ramped up, always swapping it with ice water at camp. I felt SO much better than the years before when i hit the ground running.

Oh, and another tip for all of you except the straight whiskey hounds:

We entertain a lot in the summer at home, so we do a lot of things to support people drinking for long periods in the sun. Two of the best are:

Did you all know that vodka goes really well with most of the electrolyte drinks? Especially vanilla vodkas....mix perfectly with orange and original Gatorade, etc.

Second, for those that like the mixed drinks, bring two-liter bottles of club soda. Substitue 50% CS for the mixer in the drink. You generally cannot taste it, it hydrates you, and stretches your mixers longer.

Bottles of CS are cheap, and can also be used as a shower in a baby pool. The fix is really great to get the dust outta your hair.

LoR

The fox provides for himself, but God provides for the lion - W. Blake (attribution corrected)

We use the orange cylinder cooler use always see with road/work
crews. Fill half way with water, add powdered Gatorade (much cheaper)
and add ice up to the top. As the cooler is emptied, it's a bag of ice,
a shake of powdered Gatorade, and you will always have something
for your group, and guests. The coolers have a provision for a cup
holder, which is filled with sml/med cups that available everywhere.
It's a very low maintenance system that works very well.

what worked for me was keeping my camel back style bag full of iced water and drinking a coconut water a couple times a day. last year was my first year and i never felt thirsty or bogged down at all a cold coconut water was also a great thing to have in the morning after a hard night of drinking and partying it will pick ya back up in no time this year i will be bringing a few boxes of coconut water to share with my campmates / anyone who wants one. they're usually kinda expensive but every now and then amazon has em for cheap like $12 for a box of 12 usually at other places they're like $2-4 each